Dan Brown's interesting Grail (the san greal) novel presents a conspiracy
theory as fact, and like most such theories, there are enough grains of
fact, that a wave of reactionary books, documentaries, games, and products
have mushroomed in the wake of the "explosive" central purported
fact; that Jesus of Nazareth was married and that his descendants (the sang
real) are still among us in hiding, battling against elements within the
Church which have sought to suppress their very existence, and awaiting the
moment when they will reveal themselves.

The book and the core mysteries make use of the genius of one man,
Leonardo da Vinci, central to the theme of a long line of secret society
masters, protecting the royal bloodline down through the ages to the modern
day. It is a nice fiction, and who can state the degree of fact. Several of
the books and items below are supportive of the basic Golden legend of the
Sang|real; many are debunkers. My own historical fantasy series 'The
Dragon Skies' makes use of the motif of a royal bloodline within the
grail storyline, blending the romance and legends of the Scottish Merlin,
the royal line of the house of Bran and the visible and hidden grails,
against the backdrop of the battles and strife at the end of the 6th century
during the rise to power of Northumbria in northern Britain. Dan Brown's
story is not new.

If one accepts that the strength of the Christian Church rests upon the
teachings of salvation of Jesus, then this novel is no more explosive than a
shaken pop bottle. Should it really matter to the followers today whether
Jesus was married? Most Christian men are adoring husbands and loving
fathers. The 'patriarchal' leaders of the early church, stressing the
divinity and teachings of the Christ, would have ignored the general facts
much as the families of the apostles drifted into the background of their
own calling and works. Conspiracy theorists will stress that the Church
would make every effort to block such a fact. If one accepts even the basic
germs of fact revealed in the Gnostic gospels, those of Philip, Mary,
Nicodemus, and others; the real worry for the Church is the suppression of
the role of women in the early Church; that Mary the true disciple and
closest companion of the lord had to flee for her life in the wake of the crucifixion,
fleeing the Romans as well as the male dominated schisms that ripped through
Christ's followers: the struggles between the more Jewish sect of James, the
sect that looked to Peter for guidance, and the new non-Jewish church of
Paul. The Church would have to look back in upon itself and come to grips
with the turmoil that still grips its priesthood today. Whether Jesus was
married or not, the stress and later law by the Church for a celibate
priesthood and use of the gospels to claim that Jesus was, inevitably leads
to the crisis faced today within its ranks.

I enjoyed the movie. Ron Howard has carefully crafted an on screen vision
that presents Brown's novel without overly dramatizing the controversy. His
heroes, especially Hanks, are drawn into their fate, not driven by secret
puppet strings to push an agenda. The villains, not the Church, not the
Rector, nor even Opus Dei, but a small select group of zealous men within
the ranks, are complex enough to be genuine. Each of us can decide for
ourself what we believe. To be presented with a different vision will not
shake the basic foundation. To understand that it is only theory and to read
other accounts and interpretations, is part of our basic curiosity and
search for gnosis.

da Vinci's The Last Supper. Is that Mary on Jesu's right in the seat of
honor?